Treatment of Tuberculous Meningitis in Turkey

A prospective study was performed on 72 cases of tuberculous meningitis studying various treatments. 37 patients were treated with a combination of isoniazid, rifampicin, pyrazinamide and streptomycin for 2 months, followed by a combination of isoniazid and rifampicin for 6 months. 35 patients were treated with various combinations of antituberculous drugs for 12-16 months. Disappearance of symptoms took (mean) 17 days. Mean duration of therapy for the hospitalized patients was 36 +/- 4 days. Seven (9.7%) patients died, 5 in the short-course therapy group and 2 in the long-course therapy group. Sequelae persisted in 18 (31%) cases, 8 of which cases were in the short-course therapy group and 10 in the long-course therapy group. No relapse was observed in either of the groups.